Astros' Hunter Brown: Third straight quality start
Rotowire
Brown did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over six innings against the Twins. He struck out seven.
Brown allowed two solo homers, one to lead off the game by Trevor Larnach and a blast in the sixth by Jose Miranda. Those two dingers sandwiched a second inning run-scoring double by Alex Kirilloff to represent the three tallies against Brown. The sixth-inning homer eliminated Brown's chance to pick up his second win, though he did collect his third straight quality start. While Brown's season ERA remains poor at 6.18, he's been much better over his last five starts, accumulating a 3.53 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 31 strikeouts over 28 innings. His next start is tentatively slated for next weekend when the Astros travel to Anaheim to take on the Angels in a three-game set.
Brown did not factor into the decision Tuesday against the Mariners, allowing one run on four hits and no walks while striking out nine in six innings.
Brown had arguably his best performance of the season, tossing his third quality start while setting a new season high with nine punchouts. The Mariners scratched across a run on him in the first inning, and from there he was dominant, allowing just one runner to reach scoring position while retiring the final 11 he faced in order. Tuesday was also just the second time this season he went without walking a batter. It was certainly an encouraging outing, as it's been a mixed bag of results all year from the 25-year-old, who now owns a 6.39 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 53:24 K:BB in 49.1 innings. Brown will look to pick up a win over the weekend when the Astros host Minnesota.
Astros' Hunter Brown: Quality start in Wednesday's loss
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Brown (1-5) took the loss Wednesday, giving up two runs on two hits and three walks over six innings in a 2-1 loss to the Angels. He struck out three.
The right-hander put together arguably his best start of the season and made only one real mistake, but a fifth-inning sinker got too much of the plate and Kyren Paris drove it out of the park to left-center field for a two-run homer. It was only Brown's second quality start of the year, and he's served up nine home runs in just 43.1 innings, fueling a 7.06 ERA. With Ronel Blanco (suspension) rejoining the rotation this weekend and Jose Urquidy (forearm) likely not far behind in his return, it's not clear when Brown might make his next trip to the mound.
Brown (1-4) yielded four runs on four hits and three walks over five innings Friday, striking out five and earning a win over the Brewers.
Brown moved back into Houston's rotation for his first start since May 5 and notched his first win of 2024. He coughed up a solo homer to Jake Bauers in the second inning before Joey Ortiz slugged a three-run shot in the fourth. Brown has walked at least three batters in four of his eight starts and now owns a 41:21 K:BB through 37.1 innings. He'll carry a 7.71 ERA into his next appearance, which is currently lined up to be at home against the Angels. Brown could be pushed back to a bullpen role once Jose Urquidy (forearm) is healthy and Ronel Blanco returns from his suspension.
Astros' Hunter Brown: Rejoining rotation this weekend
Rotowire
Astros manager Joe Espada said that Brown will make a start during the team's three-game home series versus the Brewers this weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Espada didn't specify which day Brown will start, but Friday's series opener looks like the logical target for him to slot back into the rotation. Brown's spot in the rotation looked to be on thin ice after he supplied an 8.89 ERA and 2.20 WHIP over 27.1 innings in his first seven starts of the season, prompting the Astros to skip over his turn this past week. The right-hander was available out of the bullpen for the weekend series in Detroit and excelled in long relief behind Cristian Javier in Saturday's 8-2 loss to the Tigers, tossing five innings of one-run ball while tying his season high with seven strikeouts. Houston will move to a six-man rotation this week to accommodate Brown, but he may still need a strong showing against Milwaukee to ensure he sticks in a starting role moving forward, especially with Jose Urquidy's (forearm) return from the injured list on the horizon.
